Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup lard
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup warm water
Special Equipment
  • pastry blender
  • comal (Mexican griddle; optional)
  • six- to ten-inch-long wooden dowel (found in hardware stores)

Directions

  1. Stir together flour with salt in a bowl, then cut in lard with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles meal.
  2. Drizzle vegetable oil over and stir in warm water with a fork until a dough forms.
  3. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, dusting hands occasionally with flour if dough is sticky.
  4. Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour. Heat a dry well-seasoned cast-iron comal, regular griddle, or skillet over moderately low heat until hot.
  5. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls. When rolling out 1 ball at a time with dowel, use just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking; you don’t want excess flour coming off on the comal.
  6. Keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap. Roll out each ball into a 7-inch round, maintaining an even thinness as you roll.
  7. Cook 1 tortilla on comal as you roll the next. (I used a rolling pin and a flat griddle. Tortilla will bubble and puff, and bottom will be browned in spots in 45 seconds.
  8. Turn it over and cook second side in same way, moving tortilla around to compensate for any hot spots on comal if necessary.
  9. Transfer to a kitchen towel. Stack and cover tortillas as cooked.

They can be frozen (cool thoroughly first). Rewarm thawed tortillas on comal before using. Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Homemade-Flour-Tortillas-233305#ixzz2LpIFO1Ow

Avocado Paletas

Avocado Paletas
Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Aguas Frescas – Fany Gerson

The paleta is slightly sweetened and gets its creaminess from the natural avocado oils rather than any dairy.

YIELD: Makes 8 to 10
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Paleta molds, sticks

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 small ripe avocados
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit and scoop the fl esh into a blender, along with the cooled syrup and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Add the lime juice and blend just until combined.

3. If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds, snap on the lid, and freeze until solid, about 5 hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (1 1/2 to 2 hours), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. If using an instant ice pop maker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Mexican Chocolate Shortbread

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:
25 min
Cook Time:
35 min

Serves:
18 bars

Ingredients

* 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, plus more for topping
* 6 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4teaspoon salt
* Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons raw sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch-square metal baking pan, then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all 4 sides. Pulse the flour, almonds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and cayenne, if using, in a food processor until the almonds are finely ground.

Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined (the dough will be crumbly). Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan (you can cover the dough with plastic wrap and use the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out).

Prick the dough all over with a fork, then use a sharp knife to cut it into 18 strips. Top with almonds, lightly pressing them in. Sprinkle with the raw sugar. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 10 minutes.

Bake until the shortbread is slightly puffed and firm, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately retrace the strips with a knife; cool completely in the pan on a rack. Lift up the parchment paper to remove the shortbread from the pan, then separate into bars. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.